Life Doesn't Have Instructions
by roseee.xD
Summary: I used to think that life was something like a long road, but that was before...
1. Chapter 1

I used to think that life was something like a long road. There were twists and turns, bumps and potholes. That all we had to do in life is to make choices and don't look back, just keep moving, because the more you look back, the harder it is to move on. That in these days, people only look out for themselves, and if you don't do the same, you'll be caught in the middle, between all the lies and those who execute them. But, that was before my dad died.

It all started on a warm summer evening. And again, I was thinking about my mom. Several months ago, my mom and dad had a big argument about how I was being raised. Mom thought I should be as happy as I can be with reasonable restrictions, but Dad thought I should be raised strictly so I wouldn't grow up spoiled. So they split up, leaving my dad with custody of me. Although I never knew until the day before they went to court about who will keep custody of me, my aunt told me that they had been quarrelling since I knew how to walk, but they tried to keep it together until I could at least have enough time to understand. Unfortunately, it also gave me enough time to be used to be living with both my parents and depend upon them equally. Life here in New York, New York has definitely taught me how not to be spoiled, but sometimes I wish I ended up with my mom. Luckily, my depressing thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ringing of the phone. It was my mom calling from the other side of the city.

After such a long period of time, being separated from my mom, hearing her voice right now, reminded how much I miss her. "Hey honey, is your dad home?" She said like she was bracing herself, which made me wonder what it was she wanted to talk about. It felt so good to hear her voice, all I wanted to do was talk to her for hours on end, but sadly, she asked specifically for my dad. Reluctantly, I told her he was home and handed the phone to him.

After what seemed like way too long for a telephone conversation my dad came back flustered. "You're moving back to your mom's house for this school year," Dad said with a blank expression. I suddenly felt a whirlwind of emotions turning me almost numb. I was ecstatic, yet terrified, excited, yet scared and nervous, but most of all curious and full of complete shock. I'm so happy to see my mom again, after what seems like decades, but at the same time I remember all my friends that I'm going to end up leaving, which makes me upset. Another thing I feel is excitement because moving schools will give me a clean slate, something you can only get by moving. However, a clean slate means that I'll have to make new friends all over again, which makes me nervous and scared as well, it's not always easy to make friends. But what I'm feeling mostly is curiosity and shock, how could only a 5 minute phone call arrange something like this so soon? My dad looked really upset, like he lost a fight he wanted to win, what exactly made him give in? I've always thought that I got my stubbornness from him, when he's determined he usually wins an argument, just like me.

"At least you have a whole week to say goodbye to everyone" my best friend Amanda told me when I told her, and my other best friend, Ian, the news.

"Oh Amanda, I'm going to miss you so much when I leave" I said realizing how much I depend on my good friend's positivity, while giving her a much needed hug. Everything was happening so fast. Yesterday, I was busy making plans for what to do next weekend, now all that could fill my mind was how many miles we'll be away from each other.

"Awww and I thought we were a group of three" Ian said fake-mockingly.

"Somebody's feeling left out! Get over here Ian," I replied. He, of course, obliged. Every second that I spent with them, since I got the news I kept realizing exactly _how_ good friends they were. And I'm not just going to mean the whole cliché "oh, they've always been there for me". I mean, if I'm not telling them something, I've completely gone brain-dead. I mean if they won't help me out, then the sky looks like puke. Ian and Amanda have practically been my metaphorical devil and angel, Amanda being the devil, and Ian being the angel. And I know that, no matter how hard I try to be _their_ angel, I would never be able to pay them back. Now, my time to pay them back is coming to an end.


	2. Chapter 2

Today's the day that my week of goodbyes finally ends. I'm actually pretty glad about it now because for the last week, I have been getting attention from people I don't even know about. It's not that attention isn't nice but, I really don't need any right now. I just want to savour one last typical day of being here. The hardest goodbyes were to Amanda and Ian. We started remembering random stuff like the day we all met, and so many good times, we all ended up bawling, even Ian. It would've pretty funny if it were anything else. But we decided that we will meet up every weekend, and go on a three way call at least every day since I only live across the city. But the most awkward goodbye was to my good friend Nate. We used to best friends in elementary school but, well he told me he wanted to be more than that. However I didn't feel the same way, it hasn't been the same since.

Anyways, when school ended, I went straight home and finished packing. After packing, I went to Amanda's house with Ian for our last hang-out living here. We laughed and cried some more when my mom phoned me. She said she was on her way to pick me up from Amanda's house in about 45 minutes, so naturally the crying and laughing intensified.

Exactly 45 minutes later my mother came, so I grabbed my things, hugged my friends again and left. On the way, my mom and I decided to catch up. "How's it been? Caitlin, it has been too long" mom said once we got in the car.

"It's actually been pretty good. I have a lot of friends here that I'm going to miss though" I replied, already missing Ian and Amanda.

"Oh, sweetie I would be fine with you seeing them on the weekends. But, you have to answer me one question" Mom said, somewhat slyly.

"And that question is?" I asked, bewildered by her sly comment.

"Is one of the people you'll see going to be your boyfriend?" She blurted out. "Sorry, it's okay if you don't want to tell me." She added when I started going red.

"No, it's okay, I would tell u anyways, and the answer is no." I said, still red.

"How about you, mom? Have you met anyone new yet?" Now it was her turn to go red.

"Well, there is someone, but I' m not too sure yet" She replied sincerely, yet nervous at my reaction, I guessed. This, in turn, made me grin.

"Go for it, mom." I told her. For a while, she just sat there, stunned. Then slowly her mouth formed words. "You mean you're not mad that I'm dating someone else?"

"Absolutely not" I replied, and it was silent the rest of the way home.

_Everything's going to be alright. There's no need to worry. _I tell myself as I get ready for the first day at my new high school. My mom's is driving there, and now we were pulling into the school parking lot.

"Okay honey, I'm not going to bug you by saying make friends, or just try to have fun. But I still want to say, whatever happens, God put you through things to make you stronger, embrace the challenge and accept it, now go," mom said as if remembering something she regretted.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. Immediately, I felt people's eyes on me, trying to see what I would do. Then, about two minutes afterwards, I was approached by two guys, and a girl.

"Hey there, you're new right?" said the guy with sandy brown hair said.

"Yup" I said shakily, but tried to cover it up. I guess they were used to people covering up like this, because they all caught it and chuckled.

"It sucks, doesn't it? I mean everyone staring? Don't worry we've all been new," the girl said. I barely had time to nod before the third in the trio decided to speak up.

"Come on, we'll show you around" he said while the girl took my arm and added,

"I'm Madison, and that's Thomas and Sam" she said indicating the guys beside her. Huh, maybe this _will_ be an interesting year.


	3. Chapter 3

Out of all things I've seen, time has never been faster. Before I even knew what was happening I was in a bus ride back to my dad's. Normally, I my mom could've dropped me, but she insisted that it was better for the environment and wallets. So here I am, sitting in a stuffy packed bus, thinking about the summer ahead for my friends and me. Not to mention seeing my dad for the first time since last year.

In the past year, so much has changed including my whole lifestyle. There was a lot more homework in my new school, and lest we forget my new school itself. The whole of it was completely and utterly different from my school. The girls in my school let jealousy rule and were ruthless about it. The guys didn't, and we're a lot less cocky than the ones from my old school. And don't even get me started on the rumours there. They're not the usual she likes some dude, blah, and blah, blah, I'm talking about rumours _deliberately _spread and believed because of jealousy.

With that last thought in my mind, there was a ding signalling my stop. I sighed wearily from hour long bus ride and stepped out the door. Call it intuition but the moment I stepped off the bus I immediately felt I shouldn't be alone. _Stop being so melodramatic, _I told myself. Ian and Amanda would be laughing so hard if they saw me right now. _I_ almost started laughing, I felt like that paranoid girl who watched way too many horror movies for her own good. I was almost at my house, just a block away. I started to walk faster, maybe nothing could happen if I get to my house too fast for anything to happen. I was dead wrong. At first it was just soft normal footsteps but gradually the footsteps started to pick up speed just as I was and eventually I was listening to the footfalls of a runner.

I was just about to turn a corner, hoping that it would be over once I do, but then I felt something like an arm grab me around the waist. I tried to scream and pull away, but it was no use, my captor's other hand was clamped on my mouth. I would definitely not go down without a fight, so since this felt like a move, it's time for the actor's attempt at self defence, thank you action movies. I bit down hard on his cold hand, trying not to think of its taste or what he or she could've been touching and used my hands to pound on the arm around my waist. The moment his grip on my mouth weakened, I pulled my head away and started to scream. Somebody would hear me, somebody _had _to hear me. Obviously this guy had practise because even if his grip on my face could be weakened he didn't seem fathomed by my hitting on his arm. So instead, I decided to result to pinching. I pinched and pinched until I drew blood. Almost immediately my captor loosened his grip, and I took my chance and jerked away. He or she tried to get me in his or her grasp again but it was too late.

I ran for a whole block straight before indecision struck me. My captor would definitely try to follow me, maybe even trap me. There was no way I could go home, way too easy of a trap. There has to be another way. I needed to go somewhere a little far, to outrun my predator, and I needed a tricky path. Just in case I judged my abductor too quickly, I called the police to meet me at Amanda's house and Amanda to tell her that the police and I were coming.

It was taking too much time, by the time my phone was in my pocket and I was ready to run again, the person who was chasing me had already turned the corner of the street I was on. I ran and ran, ignoring my lungs' attempt of begging me for more time to catch my breath, and the throbbing pain in the muscles of my legs.

None of my energy had gone to waste because gradually, the familiar loom of Amanda's house came into view. My chest swelled with hope as I coaxed my legs into trying to run faster. _Come on,_ I told myself, _its right there_. And eventually my speed grew only a bit faster. As a joke, I promised myself, if could make this, there was no way I _wasn't_ going to try out for the cross-country team.

But Amanda's house wasn't the only thing that came into view. Soon enough I heard the squealing of a large van come up from behind me. I had been careful not to underestimate my opponent, but I could never have imagined this. _Faster! _I mentally screamed. Just in time, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, causing Amanda's house come rushing to meet me. All of a sudden, something came whizzing past my head, and I was staring at what I imagined could only be a tranquilizer dart.

Though odds were against it, there had to be a way out. The darts started coming faster and closer to the target. I needed a way fast. And then, like the flick of a light switch, I had it. So, I started running in jagged lines, hoping that would make it harder to strike target. But once again I had made the mistake, he, which it seemed to be, had caught my pattern and was using it for aim.

Suddenly, I felt one of them find its mark. I could feel myself slowing down, but I still kept running it would only be a few minutes until a police officer would notice me. It would be no use though, even if I kept running, the drug was moving fast and i knew I would be out cold soon. In response to my conclusion, I stopped altogether and used my last few waking moments to scream for help, surely they would hear me.

"_Who could've done this to me?" _my last thought before entering the empty, unnatural sleep.


End file.
